(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display device, and more particularly, relates to a stereoscopic image display device for displaying a stereoscopic image by generating stereoscopic image data based on input 3D graphic data.
(b) Description of the Related Art
In general, human eyes are about 6.5 cm apart (Inter-Ocular Distance (IOD)), and therefore each eye has a slightly different view of an object. Since the distance between the left and right eyes causes a disparity of an image, we can perceive an image having a stereoscopic effect by assembling the disparity in our brain. This principle is basically applied to produce a three dimensional (3D) image. For example, when the eyes observe a hexahedral object, our brain perceives a similar object from images of the hexahedral object that are respectively observed by the left and right eyes. In addition, we can feel a depth of the object by perceiving a parallax difference caused by the differently observed images of the left and right eyes (i.e., we can perceive the stereoscopic effect).
In the prior art relating to stereoscopic images, a left eye image and a right eye image are separately generated when contents are produced, and a stereoscopic image display device receives stereoscopic image data generated by compounding the left eye and right eye images. Therefore, 2D image contents and 3D stereoscopic image contents are typically produced separately. In addition, since a 3D stereoscopic image display device should independently store the 3D stereoscopic image contents, a size of a storage unit may be problematically increased.
Korean Patent No. 239132 discloses a three dimensional disparity drawing device and a method thereof. In this patent, a method for generating a left eye image and a right eye image with reference to a z coordinate address and an x coordinate address is disclosed. However, according to the patent, the left eye and right eye images are produced according to a depth of an object regardless of a stereoscopic shape thereof since the left eye and right eye images are produced from the 2D image. Accordingly, performance of providing a stereoscopic effect may be limited, and the image may be distorted with respect to a realistic stereoscopic image.
Therefore, it is difficult to make 3D stereoscopic image display devices available for general use because of the difficulties in producing the 3D stereoscopic image contents as described above.
Therefore, in order to commercialize a stereoscopic image display device, a stereoscopic image display device for displaying a 3D stereoscopic image by using input 2D image contents including a 3D graphic which includes depth information and surface information of an object, should be developed.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.